Eleven years have passed, and we've come this far. What is cause, what is effect, what is reality, and what is illusion?
Ju Nian took off her coat and wrapped it tightly around Fei Ming. Fei Ming's tears flowed down her cheeks. Tang Ye's broken promise had already disappointed her once again. For Ju Nian, the small courtyard guarded by this iron gate was the peace she longed for most, but for the child, it was an innate loneliness.
"Stand here and don't move." She warned Fei Ming, afraid that the child would recklessly run into the rain again. Then she walked step by step to the swaying iron gate, not looking at Han Shu's expression, and took out a small key, inserting it into the rusty lock.
As the keyhole turned, the door opened with a soft "click" from the spring mechanism.
Han Shu pushed open the door and entered, his first step landing on the soft, rain-soaked leaves. For some time now, Ju Nian had been busy caring for Fei Ming and hadn't had time to clean or tidy up; water seeped from the edges of his shoes. Ju Nian didn't greet him, leading Fei Ming into the house first. He shamelessly followed. He had never been allowed into this house before and knew they lived in poverty. Although he was somewhat prepared, seeing the dimly lit, old house, almost empty except for essential household items, coupled with the yard covered in withered leaves, evoked an indescribable sense of desolation and decay. He was a man who valued quality of life above all else, meticulously choosing his food, clothing, and possessions. Seeing them living like this for so many years, the stark contrast left a bitter, unspeakable ache in his throat.
While Han Shu was looking around, Ju Nian took a dry towel and silently handed it to him. He was saddened, but also afraid that she would see through his joke, so he couldn't control his cheeky mouth. He clicked his tongue and said while drying his wet hair, "If you sold all the messy stuff in your yard to a junk collector, the money would be enough for me to retire early and enjoy my old age."
Upon hearing this, Ju Nian felt immense sympathy and said, "Then I'm afraid your later years will be very short."
Han Shu, who died young, wisely stopped on the topic, because he couldn't tell whether Xie Junian had completely lost his sense of humor or was telling him a joke that was even lazier than his own.
For some reason, the old house felt colder, and there was no heating. Han Shu's hands were half-frozen from the cold. He finally managed to dry his hair until it stopped dripping, but he still couldn't help but sneeze again. Fei Ming refused to lie back down on the bed and moved a stool to sit close to her Uncle Han Shu. Seeing this, Ju Nian had no choice but to bring out a small electric heater that Fei Ming usually used and place it beside them. Han Shu quickly pulled Fei Ming's hands close to the heater to warm them. After a while, he felt his blood starting to circulate again, and the discomfort of the damp clothes sticking to his skin became even more pronounced.
He took off his coat, revealing that his thin sweater and shirt underneath were also soaked through. While others stood in the snow at Cheng's door, he stood in the rain at Xie's door; his goal seemed to have been achieved, but the consequences were severe. Fei Ming, as expected, didn't waste his pain and immediately cried out, "Uncle Han Shu, you'll get sick like this!"
Han Shukong shook his clothes, coughed a few times, and then made a seemingly reasonable request to Ju Nian, "Um... could I use your bathroom to... take a shower?"
He was extremely humble, but Ju Nian was also extremely surprised and embarrassed. In her opinion, allowing him to enter the house was already her bottom line, and she never expected him to make such a request.
Ju Nian said hesitantly, "Didn't you say you'd just sit for a bit, catch your breath, and then leave?"
Han Shu opened his eyes wide. "That's what I said, but look at me, I'm all soaked, and it's cold. If I don't change, I'll definitely catch a cold. I don't have anyone to cook porridge for me or take care of me. If I catch a cold, it will turn into pneumonia, and if I catch pneumonia, it will turn into meningitis. At that point, I'll be lucky if I don't die, let alone catch my breath."
He muttered to himself, "Pah! Pah!" He would never have said such a thing before, especially during the New Year. But after talking to Xie Junian so much, he naturally started saying some nonsensical things. But whatever, as long as it works.
Ju Nian forced a smile, "I don't have any clothes for you to change into."
"Yes, Auntie, you forgot? It's in your room..."
"Feiming!"
Ju Nian frowned and stopped the child's innocent words. Fei Ming was innocent; she only wanted to keep her Uncle Han Shu with her. Little did she know that one sentence would make her aunt blush and feel extremely embarrassed.
“Those are all your father Sinian’s old clothes. How can Uncle Han Shu wear them?”
Han Shu glanced at the aunt and niece silently for a few moments, then stood up with a smile. "That's no problem. I have a change of clothes in my car. I just need to borrow your place."
Chapter Twenty-Two: Dean Han's Son
Han Shu quickly retrieved his belongings from the car parked at the door. Ju Nian realized that his claim of having "a change of clothes" was an incredibly understated statement. He dragged in a suitcase large enough to hold the entire Fei Ming family; it was more than just a change of clothes. Even if he said he had enough supplies to survive a month stranded on a desert island, Ju Nian would believe him. She began to seriously consider whether allowing him in and then making increasingly demanding requests was a very unwise decision.
In fact, Han Shubei had a complete set of things, but this cannot be simply attributed to "wolfish ambitions." He was the kind of man who would bring a clean sheet when he traveled for business and stayed in a hotel. To this day, he still cannot understand why his aesthetic sense was so special when he was facing Xie Junian.
Because he was indeed very cold and damp, and even more afraid that Ju Nian might suddenly overturn his previous tacit agreement, Han Shu didn't dare to ramble on. Under Fei Ming's guidance, he quickly entered the only bathroom in the house.
The door was closed. The room was narrow, but it was very clean. The walls were covered in ordinary white tiles, and one of the walls had a small mirror. Han Shu couldn't wait to take off the clothes that had made him so uncomfortable. Standing under the hot water shower, all his disheveled and stale air vanished, and he felt so satisfied that he wanted to burst into tears.
He ran his fingers through his wet hair, and in the steam, he saw his half-naked self in the mirror before him. He reached out to wipe the condensation off the mirror, a surreal sensation washing over him. Her bathroom, her mirror—this mirror had once reflected her image… The water was too hot. Han Shu turned it down a bit, but his body was still burning, red like a boiled shrimp, a particularly silly shrimp. He didn't dare think any further. He grabbed a bottle of shower gel from a nearby shelf and haphazardly rubbed it all over himself. He didn't recognize the brand; the scent was faint, just like hers. Han Shu felt like he was possessed. In his frantic movements, he somehow knocked over things on the shelf. The overturned bottles rolled down, startling the people outside. The bathroom was adjacent to the kitchen. Han Shu heard Ju Nian walk a few steps over, but she seemed too embarrassed to speak, and went back to the kitchen to continue her unfinished work.
The bathroom had a thin door and a small window with a pale blue curtain. Han Shu didn't know how long he had been inside. Through the shimmering curtain, he listened to the sounds coming from her kitchen—the clatter of pots and pans felt so familiar. Han Shu remembered Zhu Xiaobei saying from long ago that being too sentimental was a sign of aging, but he wished he could grow old like this, walking out with white hair to ask, "Is dinner ready?"
"Auntie, Uncle Han Shu has been washing for a long time, why hasn't he come out yet? Could he have fainted in there?"
It was Fei Ming's voice. Han Shu felt ashamed of her reasoning and was about to clear his throat to dispel her doubts when he suddenly heard the sound of water running from the kitchen tap. Then the water from the showerhead suddenly turned down and the water temperature rose, scalding Han Shu so much that he couldn't help but cry out "Ouch!"
"Did you hear that? You didn't faint." He then heard Ju Nian state a fact to Fei Ming so naturally, and he was instantly furious, even contemplating suicide. Dogs that bite don't bark; this woman is incredibly hateful and ruthless.
In this way, Han Shu felt embarrassed to stay inside for too long. He quickly dried himself off, put on his clothes, and stood with Fei Ming outside the kitchen watching Ju Nian make the final preparations for dinner.
Ju Niancha was watching a pot of soup simmering when he turned around and saw Han Shu waiting for dinner with a carefree expression. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "Are you really going to have your New Year's Eve dinner here?"
Han Shu said with an expression of utmost sincerity, "My appetite is really quite large."
"No." Ju Nian gently wiped her hands on her apron and said softly, "I meant today, on this day, your parents..."
Han Shu, who had finally regained his composure, had a shadow of gloom in his eyes again. He tried his best to speak in a tone that didn't sound too heavy: "Hey, the old man just turned on me. It's a long story... Oh, by the way, did you know my godmother is sick?"
Ju Nian remained silent, and Han Shu continued, "I was working overtime this morning, dragging along Lao Hu, Xiao Zeng, and the others. This case has taken so much effort, and everyone's holding their breath, determined to get to the bottom of it. Around noon, Teng Yun from Guangli called me..." Han Shu paused, glancing uncertainly at Ju Nian, "You know Teng Yun, right?"
Ju Nian gave a vague "hmm".
Han Shu clearly became cautious, carefully crafting his sentences. "He asked me out for a talk alone and provided some evidence that we didn't have before... I must say that this evidence is very meaningful to us now."
Ju Nian stared intently at her soup. Han Shu wasn't sure if she had listened. Since she was aware of the name Teng Yun, it was unacceptable that she hadn't even considered asking a question in such a sensitive situation.
He tried to observe her expression but failed, so he carefully chose his words and said, "Sometimes I feel that I can't understand those feelings that are 'outside the rules,' but Teng Yun really touched me. At least in some ways, he made me feel that those feelings can be just as genuine. How should I put it? He could have stayed out of this, but he was focused on helping Tang Ye get away with it. He even, ridiculously, offered to cover the huge deficit."
"Is this the reason your godmother fell ill?" Ju Nian asked unexpectedly.
"Well...actually, I don't know how it all happened. My godmother cares a lot about her adopted son, Tang Ye, but she probably didn't know about his 'that kind of' affairs before...Don't look at me like that. I swear to God I didn't say anything, but things have come to this point. You can't hide the truth forever; it was only a matter of time before she found out. After meeting Teng Yun, I went back to the compound and exchanged opinions with Lao Hu and the others. My mom was urging me to go home for dinner, so I left first. My godmother always accompanies her colleagues who stay behind for New Year's Eve dinner; this isn't the first time...Later, I went home. Everything was fine at first; it's New Year's Eve, after all, every year is the same. But my husband likes to ask me about work. I was interested, so to be honest, I wanted to hear his opinion. My conversation with Teng Yun confirmed our previous guess: Tang Ye, like Wang Guohua, can't swallow so much; he mostly takes the blame for others, and the people behind him..."
Han Shu traced circles on the kitchen door frame with his finger. Ju Nian, who had her back to him the whole time, seemed a little confused as she spoke, "Don't you care?"
Looking back on the past year, Ju Nian said, "I'm listening."
"Actually, I shouldn't have said this." Han Shu's fingertips traced circles even more haphazardly. He wanted to say that he didn't consider Ju Nian an outsider, but he couldn't bring himself to say it. However, he felt that Ju Nian should know, because of her close relationship with Tang Ye, she should have some idea about certain things.
"Do you remember that time I visited you in the hospital, and the photo that fell out of the file folder?" Han Shu asked.
Ju Nian's heart skipped a beat, and she naturally thought of the "old man" in the photo that Ping Feng mentioned, and the "fat sheep" that the "old man" introduced. Could this be related to Han Shu's case?
"Uh, I remember, but I didn't look at the photo carefully."
“There are two people on there. One is Ye Bingwen, the person in charge of Guangli, and the other is Zou Yiping, the deputy director of the Provincial Department of Construction. They have always been in contact. In the past, we suspected that Zou Yiping was the one who manipulated Wang Guohua, Tang Ye and the likes, and took the lion’s share of the profits. Today’s conversation with Teng Yun further confirmed that our clues were correct, and he is willing to cooperate with us in collecting evidence.”
"Deputy Director of the Construction Department?" Ju Nian murmured to herself, recalling this unfamiliar and distant official position.
"Yes, it involves too many things, and I don't really have a clear idea of what to do, so I brought it up when I was talking to the old man."
"He's telling you not to continue the investigation?"
Han Shu nodded heavily. "Actually, I know that my father and Zou Yiping have some connection. They've even gone fishing together before. But he's never the kind of person who would abandon his principles because of that connection. On the contrary, my father has worked in the political and legal field for half his life, and what he hates most is the abuse of power for personal gain and taking dirty money. That's why I wanted to hear his opinion before officially submitting the report. I never expected that he would only question my judgment, think that my source of information was problematic, and even accuse me of drawing conclusions prematurely."
At this point, Han Shu was clearly agitated and distressed. This matter had indeed caused him great distress. "I know I don't have enough solid evidence yet, but many clues point to him. It's not just baseless speculation, and my father hasn't given me any reason to give up my suspicions about Zou Yiping. I've always known that in his eyes, I'm worthless. I'm inferior to him in everything. He thinks everything I do is wrong. No matter how hard I try to prove myself to him, he easily dismisses it. His eyes clearly say that if I weren't Han Shewen's son, I would be nothing. Actually... I've really tried my best. It's not my fault that I was born his son!"
"You know it yourself."
Han Shu paused, unsure if Ju Nian was trying to comfort him. After a while, he sighed deeply. "So I didn't give in. I argued with him about the matter at hand, and he got angry, demanding that I report to the Municipal Procuratorate immediately after the holiday, without even a half-day delay, and that I have to put aside all the cases I'm handling, no matter how they're progressing... I said, 'Why should I? He's not the head of our procuratorate today. What right does he have to unilaterally arrange my work like this? Is it like when I was a child, when he made me learn something, and whether I liked it or not, it had to satisfy him? Does he know how many overtime hours and how many nights Lao Hu and I have worked for this case? I have absolutely no reason to give up when the case is showing promise, yet he makes it sound so easy. Of course, I disagreed, and we started arguing. Then he brought up some... some old grievances."
Ju Nian wasn't stupid. Han Shu was unwilling to elaborate, but she could guess what the "old debt" that had been brought up was, and it must be related to her. She lowered her head and focused on watching the soup's heat, saying nothing.
"I won't go into the details of those guys' messy affairs, but they just kept arguing, making a huge fuss and leaving no one in peace. The old man probably didn't expect me to be so rebellious this time. Judging from his attitude, if this were the old society, he would have punished me as a rebellious son. In the end, I don't understand why he would push me to the point of leaving me no room to maneuver. My mother tried to persuade me, crying as she did so. I doubt anyone has had a holiday as miserable as the Han family. In the end, my mother told me to apologize to the old man, to make amends, to listen to him, and that would be the end of it. In any other situation, I might have just accepted my bad luck, but not this time. Right now, I don't think I've done anything wrong! Why should I admit I haven't done anything wrong! Who the hell taught me to stick to my principles since I was little? And when I finally did, he slapped me across the face! I'm not going to admit it, let's see what he can do to me!"
“He kicked you out.” Ju Nian provided a concise conclusion and commentary to Han Shu’s words.
"Yes, so be it. Do you think I'm really going to die?" Han Shu said with a sneer.
Ju Nian's soup was ready. She carried it to the cutting board and looked closely at Han Shu. She knew all too well that Han Shu, despite his seemingly resolute and unyielding demeanor, and his nonchalant attitude, harbored a deep-seated sorrow. He was a man accustomed to having a family, and ultimately, he still clung to his parents. His ruthless actions this time must have been born of helplessness and a firm decision, but how could he not be heartbroken? Most importantly, perhaps he understood in his heart that although he said Director Han couldn't do anything to him, if Director Han truly wanted him to leave the West City Hospital, he couldn't stay even if he wanted to. Such a proud man, he would likely have to bow down in the face of this hurdle. Ju Nian had long understood Han Shu's bad temper and thought he deserved his downfall, but this time, for some reason, she felt he was actually somewhat pitiful.
Han Shu hadn't finished explaining the situation when he continued, "I told my mom that we wouldn't be able to have New Year's Eve dinner. If I didn't leave soon, it would lead to a family tragedy. My mom didn't know what to do, so I thought I'd go to the courtyard to find Lao Hu and the others. But on the way, I got a call that my godmother had an accident. She suddenly had an acute myocarditis attack and almost... I rushed to the hospital. She hadn't woken up yet. The doctor said she wasn't in immediate danger, but things might not be good. I stayed with her for a while. A lot of people from the courtyard came, including Tang Ye. It wouldn't be good for me to have too much contact with him at a time like this. After leaving the hospital, I realized I had nowhere to go, so I wandered here like a lost soul. The story ends here."
"Do I possess some kind of soul-summoning magic?" Ju Nian chuckled.
Han Shu chuckled, "Maybe it's a soul-snatching technique."
That's how he is. Whenever Ju Nian gives him the slightest bit of face, he gets cocky and his frivolous attitude kicks in. Seeing that Ju Nian completely ignores him, Han Shu is also a little sullen. He looks at Fei Ming and washes his hands together, preparing to eat.
Chapter Twenty-Three: A Three-Person Bicycle Amidst the Fireworks
Ju Nian was still cleaning up in the kitchen when the dishes were already on the table. Han Shu and Fei Ming eagerly sat down around the table. Although this was supposed to be the most important meal of the year for Chinese people, and Ju Nian had put in more effort than usual, in Han Shu's eyes, their "feast" was incredibly simple: a pot of old chicken soup, a hot pot, and a steamed fish.
Fei Ming looked at the simple table of dishes, but her eyes shone. She whispered to Han Shu, "My aunt's best dish is steamed fish."
Fei Ming seemed to be in much better spirits than when he was in the hospital. Although he still looked sick, he was no longer lying in bed all day.
Han Shu had barely eaten all day, his stomach was empty, and he was already dizzy with hunger. Ju Nian was late in joining the meal, and the steaming aroma of the food was an agonizing temptation for him. When he vaguely heard the rumbling of his stomach, he had to temporarily forget his status as an uninvited "guest." Just like sneaking a bite of his mother's cooking before dinner at home, he secretly picked up a piece of fish and put it in his mouth, shamelessly continuing Fei Ming's words: "Let me see how well she does her best dish."
Fei Ming blinked at Han Shu and asked earnestly, "How was it?"
To be honest, Ju Nian's cooking skills were really so-so. If it were in the past, given Han Shu's picky palate, it would only be worth a 60 out of 100 at most. That steamed fish was a little overcooked and the flavor was a bit bland. However, considering Han Shu's current hunger and the importance of maintaining good relations, he generously nodded repeatedly.
Seeing him like this, Fei Ming couldn't help but reach for his chopsticks and said while eating, "I thought I wouldn't have to eat Aunt's cooking today. Uncle Tang said he invited us to spend the New Year with him, but unfortunately he didn't come."
Han Shu felt a pang of unease listening to Fei Ming speak of Tang Ye with the same intimate tone. A thought flashed through his mind, but he cleverly tried to get information out of the child. "Has your aunt talked to you about Uncle Tang Ye?"
Fei Ming picked at the fish bones, and after a while, he nodded, "We've talked about it many times."
"What are you talking about?" Han Shu quickly followed up.
"I talked about the storybooks Uncle Tang gave me and the stories he told me."
"I see." Han Shu couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, and also chuckled to himself, thinking, what does a child know?
However, Fei Ming leaned closer to Han Shu at this moment and said mysteriously, "Once, my aunt asked me if I would like to live with Uncle Tang if it were possible." As if afraid that Han Shu would not understand, she added in a mischievous voice that only the two of them could hear, "I guess my aunt asked me if she would marry Uncle Tang if it were possible."
Han Shu was taken aback, and leaned over as well, asking with the same sinister tone, "So what did you answer?"
Fei Ming pretended to be mature and said, "I told my aunt that it would be good if she got together with Uncle Tang Ye. Then when I get better and grow up, I will marry Uncle Han Shu."
Han Shu slowly straightened up, looking at Fei Ming's "See, I've always been on your side" expression, he couldn't say anything, mechanically picked up another piece of fish and put it in his mouth, almost choking on a fish bone.
"Uncle Han Shu, are you alright?"
Han Shu smiled bitterly, "Little aunt, you've really helped me out."
As they were whispering, Ju Nian's footsteps drew closer. "Dinner's ready, Fei Ming, where did you take Auntie's plate of fish?"
Fei Ming opened his mouth and was speechless for a few seconds before saying to Han Shu in a panic, "Oh no, I was so busy talking that I forgot that every New Year's Eve, my aunt has to use chicken and fish to worship the gods before we can eat them."
She and Han Shu both looked at the sea bass in the center of the table. During their conversation while eating, they had already eaten half of the fish.
Fei Ming quickly put down his chopsticks, subconsciously stuck out his tongue, and dared not say a word.
Han Shu was also taken aback for a moment, muttering blankly, "Why is this woman so superstitious?"
Before they could come up with a solution, Ju Nian had already walked to the table. She stared speechlessly at the mutilated fish, followed by two other guys who were bowing their heads in silence.
"I only ate a little bit." Fei Ming was afraid that his aunt would be angry, so he quickly admitted it and made his stance clear. The implication was that he had easily betrayed Han Shu, who had just been an ally.
Han Shu scratched his head awkwardly, "I didn't know there was this procedure... What should I do? Why don't you tell the gods that we won't eat fish this year?"
Fei Ming couldn't help but secretly laugh out loud.
Ju Nian stretched out her hand, pointed at the two fish with an annoyed look, took the chopsticks without saying a word, flipped the fish over so that the intact side was facing up, and then, without changing her expression, placed the fish on the table that had been set up on one side of the well and offered it a devout sacrifice.
Even after she put the chicken and fish back on the table, Han Shu and Fei Ming, who should have felt guilty, continued to laugh.